FANTASTIC BEASTS 3 (2022): Warner Bros. Delays Release In Wake of Johnny Depp Scandal

Warner Bros. Delays Release of Fantastic Beasts Sequel

Fantastic Beasts 3 is no longer set to release next year Warner Bros. said in a press statement in the wake of their dismissal of actor Johnny Depp after losing his libel case against the U.K. tabloid The Sun over an article alleging that he beat his wife.

Warner Bros. originally intended to release the upcoming sequel on November 12th, 2021; but they are now expected to wait until summer of 2022, though the exact date has not been confirmed yet. The studio announced the delay as part of a statement revealing that Depp, who portrays the villain Grindelwald, will be leaving the franchise. Depp said in a statement, “I have been asked to resign by Warner Bros. from my role as Grindelwald in ‘Fantastic Beasts’ and I have respected and agreed to that request.”

The lawyers representing Depp said he will likely appeal against the ruling. At the conclusion of the trial, judge Andrew Nicol wrote: “The claimant [Depp] has not succeeded in his action for libel. Although he has proved the necessary elements of his cause of action in libel, the defendants have shown that what they published in the meaning which I have held the words to bear was substantially true.”

“Fantastic Beasts 3 is currently in production, and the role of Gellert Grindelwald will be recast. The film will debut in theaters worldwide in the summer of 2022,” said a spokesperson for Warner Bros.

Harry Potter veteran David Yates will be returning to direct the sequel. The franchise, set decades before the events of the original film series, focuses on the wizard Newt Scamander — played by Eddie Redmayne, who works with Albus Dumbledore, portrayed by Jude Law. Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller and Dan Fogler will also star. Jessica Williams, who briefly appeared briefly in the second film, is expected to have a more prominent role in the third.

J.K. Rowling wrote the original scripts for 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Steve Kloves, who wrote the screenplays for seven out of the eight original Harry Potter movies, will be co-writing the third film with Rowling.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was a big commercial success, taking in over $800 million at the global box office. However the series is already making less money, as the sequel ended its run with only $654 million worldwide, marking it the lowest earning film in the franchise.

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